Rash of black cat disappearances reported in La Jolla

Three black and white cats belonging to La Jollans residing within a two-block radius in La Jolla’s Beach Barber Tract neighborhood went missing last month, as well as one pure black cat, which disappeared from Bird Rock Sunday evening.

Leo

, a slender tuxedo-coated tabby belonging to Stasia Osment of Gravilla Place went missing May 8. The male cat was wearing a red cloth collar, with no nametag. Anyone with information about Leo should call Osment at (858) 456-1814.

Bookie

, a black cat with yellow eyes and small white patches on its chest and lower belly went missing May 22 from its home on Belvedere Street.

Owner Kea Spurrier said that, like all the missing cats, Bookie was an indoor-outdoor cat.

“He goes out the door at 9 a.m. every day, sleeps at our neighbor’s house and comes home at 4 p.m.,” said Spurrier of the 17-year-old feline.

Spurrier said she contacted the Humane Society and neighbors, to no avail.

“He’s not a wanderer,” she said. “He basically stays within about three houses.”

Anyone with information about Bookie should call Spurrier at (619) 742-0660.

Both Leo and Bookie were not microchipped.

Carol Randolph said she her black and white cat,

Buster

, has been missing from her Vista de la Mesa home since May 3.

“I’ve got posters all over La Jolla,” said Randolph, who is offering $500 for his safe return, “no questions asked.”

“He’s never been out overnight,” Randolph said. “He’s an indoor-outdoor cat and typically stays within a block.”

Though neighbors have reported seeing Buster “sleuthing through their yard,” the 11-year-old, microchipped cat has not returned.

The three women have been in contact with one another to share information.

“We’re all broken hearted,” Randolph said. “To have a healthy animal vanish, it haunts your dreams. You just can’t stop looking and you can’t let it go.”

Anyone with information about Buster should call Randloph at (619) 518-6130.

More recently, Bird Rock resident Jennifer Tuomi’s all-black shorthair cat,

Stalker

, went missing June 17. The cat is described as weighting eight to nine pounds, and is 16 inches long. The indoor-outdoor cat is microchipped.

Anyone with information about Stalker should call Tuomi at (858) 344-7485.

Dan Desousa, deputy director with the county department of animal services, adivses cat owners to keep their pets indoors.

“That solves your problem completely,” he said. “Ideally, you should have an ID tag on them, and preferably a microchip.”

Desousa said the percentage of owners who redeem their cats from animal control is only about three to four percent.

“A microchip is proof positive of who that animal belongs to,” he said, noting that all unidentified cats who show up at animal control are first scanned to see if they contain a microchip bearing its owner’s name and contact information.

Desousa said cat killings, tortures and nappings are very rare. In most cases, he said, the culprit turns out to be a coyote.

“I’ve seen coytees walk out of downtown San Diego,” he said. “San Diego’s got little fingers of canyons throughout our communites and that’s what they use to get back and forth. Coyotes are a very adaptable speices.”

County animal control posts photos and descriptions of all the animals in its possession. To check the website, visit

sddac.com

1. The San Diego County Human Society and SPCA also posts photo-descriptions of its animals. The website is

sdhumane.org

.